Stories like this do not make it into the news, so parents still think school is a good place for their kids, never mind that kids are now deprived of recess which, research bears out, enhances learning capability. Never mind that kids in kindergarten no longer get to play (at all!) with dolls, cars, blocks, and jigsaws, or do quality crafts that help develop fine motor skills. Those learning activities are now deemed unnecessary as kids "need to be prepared early to 'succeed' and 'compete' in a global economy".
Someone on the Facebook group Opt Out of the State Test, discussing Diane Ravitch' latest book " Reign of Error" wrote,
"..in my small town, I don't think parents see the connection with test scores. If parents routinely are measuring their kids against others by asking all their friends what their kids scored, then we have an uphill battle to educate them. As I read, I am constantly trying to decide where to start educating my community.
Our parents need to feel assured that the "answers" are not necessarily in homeschooling, post secondary (dual enrollment) online schooling and open enrollment. Charters are 50 miles away. Instead of taking a complacent role that are school is here, I see us pro-actively promoting and advocating for our district so that fewer parents feel the need to look elsewhere."
In response I shared that in our district, young kids' needs are neglected in all regular schools, so any parent who can seek out more appropriate education (in my opinion only one of the three charters here qualifies), or who can homeschool, absolutely owes it their child to do so!
My heart still aches for all the kids, year after year, who enter kindergarten and are trained like dogs, not just with learning how to read by scripted Reading First curriculum, but also by means of the PBIS program. Plus, no recess, and no play in kindergarten.
Sadly, parents have been brainwashed to believe that school is a, "safe and nurturing place where all kids will have a chance to learn and reach their fullest potential", as written in many a school's mission and vision statement.
As a young parent I trusted those 'good' intentions, and back then in the early nineties, school was still a relatively good place for kids. I say relatively because, seriously...how many kids do you know of who will say they love school? But now, schools have become toxic, here in Greeley, Colorado especially, and their toxic overhaul in 2006 was used as a shining example for other failing districts to follow!
And now parents buy into the propaganda that all these reforms and tests, to track their kids' performance, are needed so their kids can 'succeed' and 'compete' in the 'global economy', never mind what the experts say whose findings are never even presented to parents, because school administrations are complicit in keeping the reforms going. And how do they do that?
By insidious coercion and threats. A parent shared this letter (click on the photo to enlarge) she received from the superintendent when she chose to opt out her child from testing, and to her credit, DIBELS testing as well.
[caption id="attachment_1760" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
An Opt Out threat[/caption]PTA's and PTO's should step up to the plate, but they too believe the propaganda. See what the New York State PTA shares on the issue: Testing Opt-Out, Just the Facts
